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Kurt Angle says addiction, booze made him decide not to return to WWE

When Kurt Angle had a serious talk with Triple H and Vince McMahon about a possible WWE return, he did not know about the brand split that will take place and word is swelling that aside from the brand split, addiction to pain killers and booze had made him decide not to return to action inside the ring.

When Kurt Angle had a serious talk with Triple H and Vince McMahon about a possible WWE return, he did not know about the brand split that will take place. Rumors are rife that aside from the brand split, addiction to pain killers and booze had made him decide not to return to action inside the ring.

Angle narrated to Sports Illustrated that in July, he will three years sober and clean from any addiction — a thing he values the most especially when thinking of his children as he continues to battle his addiction to painkillers and alcohol. Angle relates his battle against these adversaries to his training to win an Olympic gold back in 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Every day is important to stay clean–not only for me but also for my family. If I make the wrong move, I’m dead and my kids are fatherless. That’s helped me stay clean, and I’ve been really blessed not to have any triggers. None of that has happened to me. I really believe that God gave me the work ethic and the ability to have a strong will. That doesn’t mean I can’t fall–I fell into it. I got addicted and was really messed up, but to stay out of addiction takes as much hard work as I did with the Olympics. That’s what I do–I work hard and stay clean each day,” Angle said.

He also noted that his meeting with Triple H and Vince McMahon was a private one and no details were ever discussed with any media outlet. Angle explained that he is not returning for the brand split set to take place with the draft on July 11. He also did not guarantee a time frame for his return to WWE action.

“I had a talk with WWE,” Angle said. “It’s confidential. I will not be returning for the draft. Possibly in the future, most likely next year, but that is not a guarantee. It was a loose conversation but I will be in touch with Triple H [Paul Levesque] in the future.”

Angle stated that he does not want to go through the stressful schedule of having to wrestle all year long including being away from his family as the WWE travels around the United States and some parts of the World as well. He even narrated that when he got injured in the past, he would ask doctors to rush his immediate release to be able to perform the crowd the next week. He noted that it was one of the factors that his neck injury would not heal properly. It would also be the reason for his addiction to painkillers that would eventually destroy him not only as an athlete but as a person.

Angle also noted that despite all of the things that happened in his life, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon did not leave his side and took care of him. He stressed that Vince was like a father to him — one whom he fear and looked up to as well. Angle added that it was Vince who would tell him if he had screwed his life up and would help him fix himself, too.

“He basically said, ‘Listen, you won an Olympic gold medal. Very few people on this planet have ever done that. You’re special, you can kick this thing.’ But I fell back into it,” Angle said.

For now, Angle is resisting the temptation of coming back inside the WWE ring and hopes that it would stay that way until he will be able to control the monster inside of him that is called addiction. He is hoping for a comeback and that would be his last ride as he stated that he will not be wrestling for the longest time again.